The Super Mario Saga
by Gregory Achen
Summary: The Super Mario Bros. legacy all began in the form of an ancient prophecy against evil. Encompassing the entire known mythology of the Mario universe, this is the definitive Mario epic true fans have been waiting for! The one and only MARIO SAGA!
1. Chapter 1: The Prophecies

**The Super Mario Saga**

**Chapter 1 - "_The Prophecies_"**

**By Gregory Achen

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Once upon a time, so very long ago...

Before the Human Race...

Before dinosaurs roamed the Earth...

Before the great mountains and seas...

Before the first grain of sand...

Before our very Earth's existence...

Before the infinite expanses of the cosmos...

And before even time itself was a reality...

...there was _nothing_.

Nothing, that is, except a blank canvas that in and of itself never really existed to begin with.

During this almost never-ending chapter of Oblivion, a timeless war was yet being waged, unfathomable to comprehend by even the smartest of human minds. For you see, it was here, outside the physical and spiritual boundaries of what we call reality, that the epic battle of Good versus Evil first began.

**THE STAR SPIRITS**

As Evil and Goodness began to take their forms, the struggle between the two entities intensified before a cataclysmic event occurred in the form of a blinding white light. This sweeping explosion of the forces was so drastic and so severe, the remnants of the Long Forgotten War could still be seen today in the form of the starry universe.

The infinite stars created, so concentrated with the purity of love and virtue, was the birthplace of spiritual beings that would be the protectors of the galaxies; thus the sacred Star Spirits were born.

**THE STAR ROAD**

Many endless years would come to pass in a sense that it would seem infinite while something truly grand was being formed. Seven of some of the strongest Star Spirits were called upon by an "Unseen Force" to unite their souls and create one of the first miracles ever known in both the physical and spiritual worlds. These Star Spirits were to build a "road" of seven immensely powerful stars around what seemed a rather "insignificant" spot in the universe. The construction of this Star Road and why they were building it was a mystery to the Star Spirits, but regardless of its true purpose, to them it would stand as a marker of all that was good and righteous in the universe and be a landmark in the name of all Star Spirits.

**EARTH**

Upon the completion of the Star Road, something truly majestic happened that would alter the course of the universe forever. The planet known as "Earth" was actually growing within the center of the Star Spirits own Star Road, for this was the reason the "Unseen Force" had called upon his seven children.

The Star Spirits learned that the Earth was to house many beautiful creatures in its future, creatures they could love, nurture, and protect. For this was Destiny, this was Fate, as this was all planned before there was even a before.

No one knows exactly who, or what, or how the Earth was actually created, but does it really matter? For the planet was created in love.

**THE KOOPAHARIAN CURSE**

Unfortunately, all was not perfect in Earth's conception. Once Evil and Darkness got wind of Love's creation, it became jealous and enraged and used all its power and energy to place a powerful curse upon the new world. For one of Earth's creatures known as the Human Race was destined to do many a glorious things during their time in the universe. Yet what Darkness saw and knew, was that their destiny also held an inherent corruption in the ways of Evil, as hatred was a powerful quality in all those who had the ability to think. Evil planted thousands of Eggs that were to grow as the Humans anger and hatred grew. Once the intolerances amongst the Humans reached beyond the point of no return, it would be then, of their own accord, that the Eggs would hatch and the beings known as the Koopas would enslave the world.

The Star Spirits fought long and hard to reverse the Koopaharian Curse, but it was too late, for the Humans future sins were so powerful that it leaked into the past.

**THE MUSHROOM BLESSING**

While the Star Spirits had quickly found they couldn't reverse the dark spell, they did think up a truly brilliant way in combating it. Using all their wits, they cleverly split the planet into two dimensions on the one Earth, separating the Eggs from the world that was to house the Human Race. In rivalry of the Eggs planted by Evil that absorbed hate, the Star Spirits planted special Mushrooms throughout the new world that would absorb love, hoping that it might counteract the Koopaharian Eggs from ever even hatching. The Star Spirits truly thought their smart thinking had saved Earth from a hellish fate and ensured Love's victory in this particular battle of Good versus Evil.

**UNEXPECTED REPERCUSSIONS**

While seemingly the Star Spirit's plan had worked, several serious and unexpected repercussions had occurred. It was true that there was now two separate dimensions on the one Earth, but the split had also created a gray area in between known as Sub-Con; "the land of dreams". But perhaps the most inexplicable of all occurrences, the Star Spirits powerful good intentions had seeped into the Earth's soil, transforming what was once barren and empty lands into a fairy tale universe that's beauty and magic was matched only by some of it's more scary and freakish parts.

The soil, now rich with the essence of Love, absorbed into the Star Spirit's special Mushrooms, causing the twitch of life to awaken in the fungus.

**EVOLUTION**

As time past on the one Earth, many creatures came and went since the vast history of its origin. Soon the days came when the evolution of the Human Race began, much to the anxiety of the Star Spirits. Watching both dimensions closely during this mysterious time, the Star Spirits became shocked as they witnessed not only the Human Race spring into life, but the magical Mushrooms they had planted millennium's ago were also growing souls, evolving into a new life form. In fact, evolution looked kindly upon all the creatures in the Mushroom World. Even some species of dinosaur, long extinct in the Human World, evolved into peaceful loving creatures known as the Yoshi.

Thousands of years passed as they watched the two world's inhabitants grow their own separate ways, each world unknowing of the others existence. While Human Beings always had a sadistic streak within, the Star Spirits were amazed at how peaceful the Mushroom People and all the creatures in the Mushroom World coexisted with one another and with nature in complete harmony.

Over the centuries, guilt thrust its ugly head over the Star Spirits as they realized the plan once conceived to protect one people's world might have in fact doomed anothers, as their eyes were opened to just how powerful the Human's hatred was.

**THE PROPHECY OF HOPE**

Dreading if or when the Curse of the Koopa would come true, the Star Spirits made what is known as "The Great Sacrifice" by selling their immortality to Fate in exchange for giving life some form of protection against the terrible creatures of Darkness should they ever awaken.

The Star Spirits selfless deed succeeded in catching the eye of Fate, the great force bestowing upon the two worlds the great Prophecy of Hope:

_Two earthly brothers, born of one world and raised in another, would one day return to their homeland as the chosen warriors against the Koopas. These twin brothers alone had the power to stop the Koopaharian Curse, but if they ever so much as dared succumb to the seductive powers of Hate; Love would forever be lost and Evil would have finally won._

Not understanding the Prophecy in any way, the Star Spirits arrived at the conclusion that when the time was right, all would make sense.

**WARP ZONES**

While the true nature of the Prophecy of Hope would remain a mystery until it actually happened, there were subtle clues unfurling. Through the course of Human existence, Human Beings, on occasion, had accidentally warped over into the Mushroom World through concentrated "magic" left behind during the great split of the worlds, deep in the tunnels of the Earth. While the Star Spirits may have initially been worried that these Warp Zones would become common knowledge to the Humans, as well as to the future Koopas, the Star Spirits unearthed that there were only seven Warp Zones, one for each continent, that actually led to either dimension and the chances of purposefully finding any of the seven was remote, if not impossible. But these gateways between the Mushroom and the Human Worlds was exactly what could enable the Prophecy of the two brothers "born of one world and raised in another."

**THE TOADSTOOL CHILD**

The Star Spirits watched the Mushroom World closely for any signs of the Eggs hatching. With all that was going on in the Human World, it wouldn't take long for Hate to give the Eggs the nutrients they needed to hatch. And as the population in both worlds grew and societies in both worlds became more and more complex, it was becoming that much more drastic for the Star Spirits to make contact with the Mushroom People and warn them of the secret threat they were oblivious to.

Being that there was no way, at the time, for any spirit being seen in the physical world, the seven Star Spirits collaborated on yet another miracle to help the creatures they loved so very much.

Born from the Earth, the Star Spirits conceived a Human Being from that of a giant toadstool in the most beautiful of all the country sides. This child was to be the Prophet to whom was given the special gift of clairvoyance.

Blessed by the world as the Saint Angelina Toadstool, the child was embraced by the Mushroom People upon her discovery, hailing the birth of a Human Being from that of a Mushroom a sign from the stars.

**THE NIGHTMARISH FUTURE**

Years past as the Prophet and her abilities grew, but the Star Spirits compassionately waited until she showed signs of a maturity ready to handle the terrible and gruesome burden of being an outlet for warnings of unspeakable Evil.

On her twentieth birthday the first vision of the far future struck her, causing her mind to fall into great Darkness. She saw the Mushroom People, cowering before that of a spiky shelled dragon whose eyes were that of blood red, whose hair was like that of fire, bearing the two horns of the Devil and sitting atop a throne fastened of bones and mutilated flesh. Angelina saw Evil; a then unknown concept in the Mushroom World.

Traumatized by these insights and not fully understanding what was happening to her, Angelina took off, leaving her followers and disappeared into the cool night air to travel the world. Her journeys whisked her through almost every land in the Mushroom World where she painted in nearby caves every single vision that plagued her heart.

**THE AWAKENING**

Angelina was falling into madness because of her visions. Ten years had passed with every single night bringing forth the same images of a hauntingly dark future. She felt isolated from the normal world as she saw things that no one else could ever imagine, much less understand.

She felt isolated, that is, until one fateful night that gave her a single ray of hope amongst all the Darkness.

Her travels had wandered into the Yoshi's Island. Alone, shivering and out in the cold rainy night, she wandered into a nearby cave and began frantically painting on the stone wall one of her terrible insights. Sobbing because of the pitiful creature she felt she had become, she collapsed to the floor, ready to give up on life and accept the "unstoppable" Evil that would one day strike fear into their hearts. Yet just as she was about to lose all hope, a comforting hand fell upon her shoulder.

Looking up, Angelina beheld the sight of a single green Yoshi looking down fondly at her. Taking her hand, the green Yoshi led her outside and through the jungles until they arrived at a clearing where many different colored Yoshies were huddled together, playing and laughing with one another. Standing her next to the fire, the green Yoshi rounded up its tribe, forming a large circle around the crackling flames. Every one of them then joined hands as they included Angelina in whatever ceremony they were about to perform. Glorious music then filled her ears as the Yoshies used their heavenly voices to sing the most beautiful song she had ever heard. The happy melody caused a whimper inside of Angelina, expressing itself physically in the form of a smile.

The Yoshies and Angelina sang around the fire for hours, right until the last ember of the flames went out. As she slept with the primitive tribe under the starry night sky, for the first time in ten years dreamt not that of Evil, but of something quite beautiful and good.

In her dreams she saw the vision of two twins, one tall and one short, each sibling possessing a unique cap; one red with the letter "M" stitched on and the other green with the letter "L". In the dream she saw that these two noble souls had the power to save their world from Evil, as they alone would posses the courage and the strength necessary to fight against the spawn of all Darkness. She saw how strong and how admirable the twin's hearts were, as it was true they would face much pain and hardship in their life time, yet not once would or could Evil ever truly tear them down.

Waking up to the sound of birds, the Prophet found herself alone, the tribe of Yoshies long gone. All the pain and misery she had felt those long years were gone for she now understood that those visions were not that of a curse but of a blessing. Angelina was to warn the world that one day Evil would strike fear into their hearts. But more importantly, she was to give the world a message of hope and that hope is what she would spend practically her entire life trying to convey.

As Angelina stared at the spot where the fire blazed all night long, a tear trickled down her face. This was not a tear of despair mind you, but rather a tear of pure joy for an experience that deeply changed her life. As the tear fell to the ground, it planted the seed of all happiness that would later grow to bear the fruit of the warm emotion and be the heart of the Yoshi's Island. This plant, known in the common language as the "Tree of Happiness" would stand as the marker of perfect joy that was felt by one of the most tortured souls at that time

**THE QUEEN OF ALL THE LANDS**

After years of wanderings, Angelina returned to her homeland where she was immediately hailed upon by her many followers. So happy were they at the return of the Human born from the Mushroom, that Angelina was instantly crowned the metaphoric "Queen of all the Lands" as even the largest kingdoms of the Mushroom World bowed down to the Prophet. Angelina immediately preached to the people of all that her dreams entailed and while scared initially, she made a promise that the deeds of two earthly brothers, born of their world and raised in another, would one day return to their homeland as the chosen warriors against Evil as they would come to know it.

Her return and the messages she gave brought forth much faith that her birth truly was a sign of something grand.

**EMBRACING THE STARS**

Watching their precious Toadstool Child suffer those long years was the hardest thing the Star Spirits ever had to do, but it was the only way they could make their presence known to the girl. Her figuring out the messages by herself was key in letting her mind open up so that the Star Spirits could speak to her directly.

One night, in her bedroom within a modest cottage, Angelina looked outside her window, gazing up at the stars, giving thanks to whatever power had given her such gifts. To her astonishment, the seven Star Spirits then shined down from the sky, embracing her as their daughter. They told Angelina everything; about the Star Road, about the creation of the world, about the cursed Eggs, about the prophecies, and why she herself was chosen to spread the messages. They talked for years yet was only a single night in reality.

The following morning, her focus clear, her understandings confirmed, she set out on a life's mission to make the power of the Stars known. Her followers quickly agreed to whatever deeds she may want accomplished as she promised that life would be that much better in the future if they made the past as magnificent as they could.

**THE STAR HAVEN**

Twenty long years went by as she oversaw the construction of a giant temple reaching to the Star Road, erected on the very spot where Angelina herself had sprouted as the fruit of a Mushroom. This temple to the stars was crowned the blessed Star Haven by Angelina where upon her 50th birthday the sacred beings of which she had preached would make contact with the world in the most beautiful of ways.

**THE STAR ROD**

All was right with Angelina during the many years it took to construct the Star Haven. She spent her free time painting, writing poetry and helping all those in need. She even married a brilliant philosopher and started a family. But what really took up her time was her own construction of a "magic wand" that would act as a key in letting the Star Spirits enter their world at last. This wand was to be set atop the tower of the Star Haven and so long as it crowned the Mushroom World, forever could the Star Spirits shine down to Earth.

**THE BIRTHDAY TRAGEDY**

On the eve of Angelina's 50th Birthday, she sat alone in the tower of the Star Haven, praying to Star Spirits, giving them gratitude for the gift she once dreaded but now loved with all her heart. As she set the finished Star Rod down, Angelina thought that at last her life's work was complete...

_...and it was in that very moment Darkness entered her heart._

No one knows exactly who killed Angelina the day of her 50th Birthday, but rumors ensued that seven demonic beings bearing the laughing mask of the Phanto set out to destroy the hope she had given to the world. Her bloody and tortured body was not found until later that same day, as she told everyone throughout the lands that at dawn the time would come to behold the Star Spirits in all their glory.

**THE FIRST CROSS OVER**

Everyone collapsed to their knees in seeing their Queen murdered and it would seem that Evil's discouragement had worked. When word of mouth of her murder echoed throughout the lands, everyone gathered at the Star Haven and it was then that the the Star Spirits made their first cross over into the physical world. Sad were they at losing the child all seven of them created, but all was not lost. By merely showing their presence everyone could see that Angelina had succeeded in connecting the Mushroom World to the loving hands of the Star Spirits.

They told the people that they were originally going to cross over into the physical world that day to give thanks to Angelina for all the good she had done. They were to tell her that she had done everything she humanly could do and as gratitude, give her a heavenly present of a magic "Power Star" that would forever protect the beautiful Toadstool Child. Being that she died before having the chance to receive her present, the Star Spirits instead bequeathed it to Angelina's widowed husband and now motherless daughter. To this day has a Power Star been given as a present to a new child born of the Toadstool family bloodline.

The Star Spirits tried comforting the distraught people with a promise that Angelina could never truly die, as her soul had used the illustrious Star Road as the path to ultimate salvation. The entities then begged the Mushroom World for forgiveness for trapping them in a world that was to be cursed in the future. As a way to atone for their gruesome mistake, they promised to grant wishes to any creature so long as it was unselfish and kind.

Thousands of years would pass since the day the great Prophet and first Queen of the Mushroom World passed on, yet her teachings and the messages she gave would live on forever.

**THE KOOPAS UNLEASHED**

It was toward the turn of the 19th Century that the event dreaded since Earth's creation would occur and, like prophesied, it forever changed the heart of the Mushroom World. The millions of Koopaharian Eggs hatched under the blood red sky of fall, their birth alone causing earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and every known natural disaster in the planet.

When it was over, the new Koopaharian Race consisted of many different species whose allegiance lied with Evil and as the new race grew, so too did their appetites for destruction.

Over the next hundred years, Mushroom People, Humans, Yoshies and many more would go missing during the deep dark hours of the night; sacrifices to the all mighty Egg of Bowseroun. For you see, not all the Koopaharian Eggs hatched that infamous day from Hell, as what could be found in the hellish catacombs of the Dark Land was one large, glowing, lava filled Egg that remained unhatched, surrounded by the seven smaller Eggs of the Koopaling. As did the Mushroom People pray to the Star Spirits, so too did the Koopas pray to this Monster Egg. Hate was constantly feeding this sac of maniacal monstrosity as the days, months and years rolled by.

**THE FIRST KOOPAHARIAN WAR**

At the start of the 20th Century, under the leadership of a powerful frog-like Koopa named Wart, the Koopas orchestrated their first full-scale attack against the Mushroom World. Being peaceful and not having the skills of either defense or offense, the civilized creatures of the world were getting massacred by the all too well masters of death.

As there was not an official King of the Mushroom World, the Toadstool family, still known for their wisdom, gave leadership during these dark times. The great Patheon Toadstool worked extensively with his best friend and confidant, the aspiring Mushroom Man philosopher Toadsworth, to save the Mushroom World before all was lost. Together with the help of the Toadstool Power Stars, the many lands of the Mushroom World united and with their combined strength, defeated the Koopas in what was an Earth shattering final battle in the fiery flames of the Dark Land.

With the Koopas temporarily defeated, the Mushroom World celebrated, but they knew that a dark shadow was still looming over their heads, ready to hatch at any moment.

**THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM**

To protect themselves from any future attacks, hundreds of countries with their monarchs decided to permanently unite as one. This union of the lands was always there to begin with, but with the first of many wars against the Koopas underway, everyone agreed it was time to make this union stronger. And so the great Mushroom Kingdom was born one hundred years ago.

Patheon Toadstool, the once metaphoric King of the Mushroom World, was now the official ruler; the Chancellor now his best friend Toadsworth. While some lands denounced the annex with the Mushroom Kingdom, such as the "human founded" flower kingdoms of Sarasaland, everyone still co-existed with one another peacefully. During the next fifty years, the King and the Chancellor succeeded in their mission in bringing peace and prosperity to the Mushroom Kingdom, but it was only a matter of time before the Koopas became all too powerful and the Mushroom World as they knew it would be doomed.

**BIRTH OF THE DARK KING**

In the Human World there was CHAOS! After one brutal War of the World, there was yet another even more horrid than the last. These World Wars brought much Darkness into the Human destiny as unspeakable evils, motivated by hate, corrupted the humans past the point of no return and that is when "It" happened.

In the darkest hours of the darkest month, amongst the shadow of a solar eclipse, explosions rocked the Mushroom World. Volcanoes erupted all throughout the dimension, tearing up the land and leaving many innocents dead and it was through this death in both dimensions that the chosen one of Evil finally hatched from its Egg, ready to carry out the destruction of all life.

This evil dragon created in Satan's form, bore the horns of the Devil, its eyes were that of blood red, its body was encased in that of a spiky turtle-like shell, and it's hair was like that of fire; the very figure that at one time tortured Angelina Toadstools dreams. The Koopas may have lost the one war against the Mushroom Kingdom years ago, but with the birth of their prince Bowser, Armageddon was sure to ensue.

Selecting the most powerful sorcerer at that time, Wart ordered a single MagiKoopa named Kamek to protect and nurture the child's evil at any cost. Kamek was to take the baby Bowser and hide him in an isolated castle on the Yoshi's Island, where no one could ever harm the Prince of Darkness at his one and only vulnerable time.

**THE MAGNIFICENT PRAYER**

With the future "King of all Evil" born, one would think the Mushroom People would've been living in constant fear, but they weren't. They never lost sight of the hope Angelina Toadstool foretold, for no matter what Shadow may loom overhead, a Shadow cannot exist without even tiniest bit of Light .

While the Mushroom People still carried this notion close to their hearts, the descendants of the original seven Star Spirits couldn't have been more worried. A great battle of Good versus Evil would be nearing an end soon with the Koopaharian Eggs hatched and their leader newly born. And so the Star Spirits asked the people of the Mushroom World to pray for the birth of the destined twins. More than ever was the union of Love's souls essential to their survival.

What answered the cry of the Star Spirits was perhaps one of the most magnificent occurrences ever to happen on this Earth. Every single creature whose heart was pure and true, heeded the Star Spirits plea, praying together in what is now known as the "Magnificent Prayer".

**TWIN SHOOTING STARS**

What started out to be a rather ordinary day in the Mushroom World ended as one of the most historic. That night, all the planets in the galaxy lined up and throughout the heavens did a shower of shooting stars rain upon the Mushroom World. All the good creatures in the world could hear what sounded like soft music during the star showers, signifying that, at last, the age old Prophecy of Hope was coming true.

The heroic twins were to be born that night and with a red and green shooting star striking the tower of the Star Haven, two babies were laid before the Star Rod.

**THREAT OF A NEW OBLIVION**

Just as quickly as their was victory, so now too was there a new sense of dread. For what accompanied the birth of the twins was a new Prophecy, issued by Fate, that had the potential to destroy the universe forever:

_Any individual soul who managed to combine both the power of the Star Road with the power of the Toadstool Stars would unite back together the two worlds of the one Earth. An unstoppable invincibility would then befall the "Star Master", giving their soul the ability to control both Heaven and Earth, before bringing about the total destruction of the universe. So would there be a new Oblivion, so now too would the past, present and future be erased from existence._

**CAST OFF TO DESTINY**

As the seven Star Spirits appeared to bless the children that were anticipated for countless lifetimes, they searched the twins' destiny for appropriate names that would perfectly complement their future selves. Concentrating, the names struck them like lightening as one baby would be named Mario and the other would be named Luigi. Why these names called to the Star Spirits they did not know, but with their new found identities, Mario and Luigi were each crowned their respective red and green caps, a gift left behind by the Saint Toadstool before her death.

As the Stork of Deliverance arrived atop the tower of the Star Haven ready to begin its long journey in delivering the twins to their fate, it was a moment of complete relief mixed with unfathomable anxiety.

In these two children's lifetime, an epic battle between...

Lightness and Darkness...

Good and Evil...

Love and Hate...

_...would all boil down to a cataclysmic conclusion._


	2. Chapter 2: The Unknown Past

**The Super Mario Saga**

**Chapter 2 - "_The Unknown Past_"**

**By Gregory Achen

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**

They had waited there for hours that night, standing atop their two-story mansion and staring above towards the blank night sky. It was deep into the hours of darkness now and the normally active forest that surrounded the house was eerily silent and forbidding. What was normally a sky drenched in the soft light of the stars was now blacker than the blackest of ebony. It was growing cold and the sharp winds of a storm were picking up. Yet the human man and woman still stood there, on their balcony, gazing into the heavens and waiting for that which was to bring them one of the most beautiful gifts two creatures could receive.

_Where was the stork? Where was the human man and woman's new child?_

They had dreamt of the moment when they might look down upon their new child's face for months now, after losing not one, but two of their children. For you see, it was little less than a year ago that their lives were altered in the most magical of ways. Yet that very experience that was initially so inspiring, had left them in the wake of fate's cruel isolation.

Fortune itself had granted them two very special children whom both the man and woman would be their loving guardians. The couple knew exactly who and how special those twin beings would be to the world, as their birth alone was well known throughout the lands. But as to protect the newborns from the detection of a great evil, they agreed without so much as ever saying a word, never to utter the children's sacred importance in fear that the babies might be uncovered and destroyed.

Life seemed perfect, too perfect after their first born babies entered their lives. The twins had brought so much joy into the couple's souls during that short time they were together, that when they had to give them up after just one year of life, despair was wretched into their breaking hearts.

The twin babies lives had been in terrible danger. The Koopas had tracked them down. It was only a matter of time before their monstrous pursuers discovered their prey. Traveling weeks on foot to reach the holy Star Haven, they climbed atop the tower for many days until reaching the top and kneeling before the Star Rod. There, they had made the most unselfish and thoughtful wish any creature had ever conceived throughout the vast history of the Star Spirits blessing. They wished their children away to a world where the Koopas could never harm their babies. They wished the twins to a nurturing family with whom would show them unconditional love and support, and offer them the guidance they needed to shape into the extraordinary beings they were meant to become. With that wish alone, their first born children had vanished before their very eyes for only Fate knew how long. And with that wish also did part of a long foretold prophecy further come into play.

"Where are they?" asked the woman in a calm but distant tone.

"They will be here," replied the man. "Just give them time. We have waited months for our prayers to be answered. What more is a few minutes worth of waiting compared to the life time we will have with him?"

"I know, I know. I just… I just want this so bad," she sadly uttered.

The man looked into his wife's eyes as she looked to him for some sign of comfort. Knowing what she needed, the man grabbed his wife's hand and tenderly kissed it, silently letting her know that he too felt the same kind of pain they had been feeling for what seemed like forever. They lost their first born babies, they lost their family, they lost their friends, and they lost their lives. This new child was to be the start of a new life and a new beginning.

"Listen, darling. I love you. You and the twins," the man said sadly.

"Don't!" interrupted his wife from her husbands supportive words. "Don't mention them. I just… I just want to focus on the now. I don't want to look back, I don't ever want to look back."

With that the woman broke down into bleeding tears and fell into her husband's arms. The man for months now had tried to be strong and be the support his darling wife so desperately needed. But now, his strong front was starting to crumble after months of trying to keep his searing pain hidden. The anticipation for their new child seemed to be greater torture than anything he had ever experienced.

"One day, my beautiful wife," spoke the man as his voice trembled. He was on the brink of crying. Slowly he built up enough strength to continue. "One day the twins, our twins, will return to us. One day we will be reunited with our babies, but not as infants, but of as men, glorious men, who will have the power to change the world. We _will_ be reunited with them. They _will_ be reunited with us and they _will_ be reunited with their new brother, who _will_ arrive tonight."

And so there they stood, embracing in the bitterly cold night air. The wind whipping around them as they intimately comforted one another, waiting for their new child to arrive. Suddenly a large clap of lightening illuminated the entire island causing the cloudy heavens to glow a brilliant purple and gray. What ensued was a shriek of thunder followed by pouring rain that fell heavily from high above.

"My love, I think we better go inside," urged the man to his wife.

"No! We have to wait out here. I am not giving up!"

"I am not saying we should give up. All I am saying is that we should go inside to wait. It is raining, it is cold, and that lightening is dangerously close. If they come tonight…"

"_If_?" snapped his wife.

"_When_ they come tonight, they won't turn back around just because we weren't waiting outside in the pouring rain."

"I don't want to take any chances," his wife firmly begged.

"I'll tell you what. We will wait inside our bedroom. The balcony doors are see-through. If we notice the slightest disturbance outside…"

"I said _NO_!" further debated the woman. "Look, you cannot change my mind. I am waiting out here rain or shine for our new child, end of story."

Just as the woman was about to even further detest her husband's decision, a lightening bolt struck the roof with a shower of sparks, causing the entire house to rumble and shake. The scream of the lightening almost demanded the woman to concede her irrational demand.

"You_ are_ coming inside," proclaimed the man.

Another hour had passed as the storm outside became more and more violent and the tension inside became more and more intense. The woman sat at the edge of the bed staring out the glass doors that led to the balcony, as her husband paced back and forth in a daze, thinking deeply. As each tick of the grandfather clock echoed throughout the room, new heights of anticipation were experienced between the couple, as feelings and thoughts alien to them crept into their minds. After coming inside neither spoke a word to each other, but not out of anger. They just simply did not know what to say. They didn't know what was taking so long. They didn't even really know what was going on.

The man and the woman's lives had been in great danger after they wished their baby twins to a new world. Upon returning to their small village, they were met by the gruesome sight of their quaint little cottage ablaze in a fury of fire. The Koopas were after them, and they knew of the noble act in which they had taken to protect their children. Enraged were they, the Koopas had vowed to make the man and woman the next victims of the powerful Koopaharian Curse that had already killed so many. So they fled to a remote island to forever live in constant fear from the rest of the world and that is exactly where they were now.

For months they lived in despair as they lived in the mansion whose owners had mysteriously vanished. The great depression of the human soul morphed the man and woman into beings they couldn't even recognize in the mirror. Things got more bitter and more sorrowful as the weeks rolled by until nine months ago that day, both the man and the woman had awakened from a deep slumber. They had divined of a new child who would fill the void in their hearts and who would come to them exactly nine months into the future.

After the whole experience of losing their first born babies and fleeing for the right to live, never before had two people felt closer to one another nor more distant. They loved each other, there was no doubt about that. But something changed between the man and woman, something that would never be the same again. With the insight of a new baby along the way, things were better between them for awhile. This night was supposed to have given them a new hope for the better. But so far, it had only caused even more heartache.

"Where could they be?" whimpered the woman, finally breaking the awkward silence. "Is it possible… is it possible, that we were wrong? What if this whole thing was but of an ordinary dream and we are only making ourselves even more the fool waiting for nothing?"

The man stopped pacing and turned to face his wife. Walking over to her and sitting on the bed, he hugged her and started gently rubbing her shoulder.

"That dream was more real than anything I have ever experienced in this lifetime," the man consoled. " It was not a dream… it was a reality, a truth of things to come. We just need to give them more time. They will be here, we will have our new son."

The wife smiled to herself as she closed her eyes.

"If it had been anyone else telling me these things, I would have thought them crazy. But not you. Somehow you always make the _irrational_, rational. The _impossible_, possible. I love you."

"I love you t--"

Just then, a loud crash was heard down stairs causing both the man and woman's stomach to turn. The intimate moment was broken by what could possibly be unknown horrors lurking in the house.

"What was that?" stuttered the woman with absolute fear.

A lightening bolt then flashed outside as the couple remained motionless, too scared to move.

"I don't know," the man genuinely replied.

"The Koopas… _THE KOOPAS_! They found us, I know it. We are dead!"

"Calm down, honey. It… it might just be the wind."

"No it wasn't the wind. It was _Death_… they have come for us."

"Don't say such things. We are safe. This island isn't like the rest of the word, remember? This island is untouched by magic, and like so, is untouched from divine detection."

"We don't know that! We don't know that for sure!"

The man thought to himself. What in the Star Road was he to do? If the Koopas really had found them and broken into the house, escape would be futile and in a matter of minutes they would be dead. Looking around the room, and studying the almost medieval decor, his sight locked onto his wife's eyes which showed a spine tingling terror. Just as he was about to say that it had to have been the storm, another loud crash downstairs was heard.

"_Listen!_" the man's wife shrieked. "Listen! They are here, I know it! I don't want to die! _I DON'T WANT TO DIE!_"

"Just stay quiet!" hushed the husband. "Just… be… quiet," he suddenly spoke trying to calm her, "I will go down stairs. I will see what is causing the noise. It is probably just the wind."

"No, don't, I need you here, my love. If we are to really die right now, I want us to be together."

"Don't talk like that, no one is going to die tonight. I promise I will be right back."

"No darling, _DON'T!_"

But it was too late. He was already out the bedroom door to face whatever might have broken into his new home.

Walking down the stairway, the man's heart was rapidly trying to escape from his chest. Just as he had never known more anticipation than that night, so now to did he never know such immense fear. Each step he took, the floorboards of the stairs screeched as if to warn whatever being that maybe down there of his presence. This night had been anything but the hope he had envisioned it to be. It was nothing at all like the birth of the twins, when he and his wife had awakened early in the hours of the morning to behold the sight of two adorable babies smiling and cooing at them.

As he walked down the stairs in his black and white robe, a soft wind blew around him giving him goosebumps. Something was going to happen at any second. What, he did not know. Was he to fear this _what _or was he to welcome it? The man then glanced outside the expansive checkered windows that separated him from the forest through the wall of the stairway. The forest outside was going crazy from the winds and the rain was coming down like shooting stars.

Suddenly, the familiar freakish noise was heard again but this time much louder. He was close. Slowly walking down the last step, the man peered around the corner spotting the empty dining room. The stillness of the room was creepy in stark contrast to the activity outside. Although it was quite cold, the man was gravely hot and sweating. With a hard swallow hurting his dry throat, the man continued on.

He looked all around the dining room and the living room that laid in conjunction. Something was off. Something was terribly wrong. Walking through the dining room and about to push open the twin doors that led to the kitchen, without warning the horrid noise was heard again as he spun around to face its source.

"OH!" yelped the man as he spotted what it was. Breathing heavily and almost collapsing to his knees from the sight, the man soon found himself laughing. It was just the front door opening and banging shut from the wind. The man and woman had been merely overreacting, "making a mountain out of a Monty Molehill".

Walking light heartedly to the front door, the man then slowly shut and latched it up tight. This might just have been the thing to lighten up the whole ordeal once the man's wife learned what they were so afraid of. _Nothing_. Just as his tense muscles had relaxed a bit, a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the house.

_His wife... She was in trouble..._

The man as fast as he could rushed up the stairs and moved for their bedroom door, only it was locked up tight.

"Honey! Open the door! Are you okay! _OPEN THE DOOR!_" the man frantically yelled.

What responded to his plea was a soft moaning causing the man to panic. Shaking the door violently, he knew that a life could end in a matter of seconds if he did not act fast and that is why he had to get in that room now. With one hard kick of his foot, the door broke open where he was met with a most vulgar sight. A large red and orange feathered bird was cowering over his wife who laid lifeless on the bed.

Staring wide-eyed at the most confusing and sickening scene, the large bird turned it's head ever so slightly to stare at it's intruder as if to warn him not to come any closer. The bird's blood red eyes pierced into the man's soul and it was then that he saw evil in all its purity. The bird was not that of the Stork they had been expecting, but that of the fiery Phoenix! Beside his wife whom laid motionless on the bed, he could see what looked liked blood. Threat or no threat he had to help his true love.

Charging at the bird, the animal became alarmed and exposed it's massive wing span to intimidate the man. It was literally gigantic. Suddenly the bird shrieked its disturbing cry causing the man to stop in his tracks and cover his ears in pain. Knocking over furniture and trashing the room, the Phoenix walked on its sharp and powerful claws over to the balcony where it jumped on the stone ledge and then swooped off, flying into the mean night sky from whence it came.

Aghast and taken back by what had happened, the man jumped onto the bed to examine his wife. She wasn't dead, but she was cut up pretty severely by what must have been wounds from the bird's sharp beak. The man then started crying. _Why must he and his wife forever be tortured? When were they finally going to be at peace?  
_  
Suddenly an eerie giggle tickled his eardrums startling him. It's source originating from under the very torn and tattered sheets. Cautious was the man and not knowing what to expect, he slowly lifted the bloody mess of cloth from his ruined bed to behold the disturbing image of a tiny human infant who stared maliciously at the man and seemed to be relishing in the mysterious chaos.

Covering his hands over his mouth, the man shook his head in utter disbelief and horror.

This infant was the new son they had prayed for.

_This new child was now his third son._


	3. Chapter 3: The Hero Awakes

**The Super Mario Saga**

**Chapter 3 - "_The Hero Awakes_"**

**By Gregory Achen

* * *

**

The Super Mario awoke with a start.

Startled by nightmares of the distant past and tortured by memories of a pain long since forgotten. This horrid vision of the past laid dormant, deep inside his sub-conscious, secretly eating away at his very soul. It was close to twenty years ago that he had lost his first love and fiance through unspeakable circumstances. It was close to twenty years ago that he had left the life he'd always known and warped over into the lands of his birth. And it was close to twenty years ago that his whole outlook on the world had changed forever.

Mario and his twin brother Luigi had always known they were different. Growing up in the slums of Brooklyn, New York was, to say the least, a very humbling experience for two people who would later become legendary heroes of an entire world. Though they were not what many people would consider "fortunate" enough to have been brought up in a high social class, he and his brother couldn't have asked for a more loving childhood.

Mario had no memory of the short time he spent as an infant in the Mushroom World. The only things he could remember were brief moments of deja vu and the occasional intense emotion that would periodically flood into his heart; especially when looking up toward the stars of the night sky. What later in his life he had come to know and pieced together, was that his birth parents had wished him and his twin brother away to a "new world" in fear for their lives. They were then found in a basket on the doorsteps of a shabby little home in the Human World by an old Italian couple whose last names were, as fate would have it, "Mario". Having been unable to conceive a child throughout their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Mario took the twin babies into their home, and instantaneously formed a connection to the tiny infants. The only hint to the babies origins were their own red and green caps and a short letter reading:

"_Protect the Baby Mario and Luigi from Evil.  
Teach them to be honest and good people.  
Love them so that they may know Love.  
Chosen are they from above._"

Mr. and Mrs. Mario honored that mysterious request asked of them as in a few months time they adopted Mario and Luigi making them the now famous "Mario Brothers". Those years growing up in Brooklyn, while in poverty, was actually one of the best periods of Mario's life. He loved his adoptive mother and father immensely, as did they love him and his brother. The notion of not being biologically related to each other was not an issue, figuring if love existed, the blood running through ones veins was trivial compared to the heart.

Yes, Mario's childhood in Brooklyn was ideal. He and Luigi had even taken over the Mario family business and became plumbers in honor of their father's life's work.

No, it wasn't his life growing up that had left his night so tormented. It was his life in Brooklyn, after childhood. It was a single woman.

Looking at his pillow saturated in sweat, Mario felt sick to his stomach. Why was he having lurid visions of the ancient past? He thought that had been a chapter long since over in the saga that was his life. Whatever the reason was, he didn't like it one bit. Through the years he had learned to trust his intuition, and follow his heart no matter what it entailed. The nightmare he had just experienced was warning him of something to come. Something grand.

With a hard stretch Mario threw off his comforter, got out of bed, and walked over to his adjoining bathroom disoriented. He then turned on the faucet of the bathroom sink causing a hiss of fresh water to stream out. Immersing his hands, Mario splashed the cold water on his face and looked into the mirror at his reflection.

Studying his features; his curly brown hair, his deep blue eyes, his bulbous nose, his dark brown moustache. Mario really did look no older than that of his mid-twenties. Living in the Mushroom World for as long as he had looked as if it had stunted his aging, at least in terms of his physical appearance. He and his brother had lived in this "other" world for close to two decades as the chosen warriors against the Koopas and what a truly epic two decades it was.

Still looking in the mirror, Mario slowly drifted off into a daydream, remembering that fateful day he and Luigi had warped over into the Mushroom World... a world lost to them since infancy.

It would be an understatement to say that the last thing they were expecting that day was their very lives as they knew it to change forever. Desperate for money, Mario and Luigi had taken on a most peculiar job in the sewers of Brooklyn, New York. Their task? To fix a series of leaking pipes that had mysteriously burst, reportedly by "alien creatures" that infested the subterranean world. Though quite baffled by this most mysterious endeavor, Mario and Luigi did reluctantly accept the job. After all, they hadn't worked in weeks and the city was desperate for the repairs after their own men dared not venture into the sewers, afraid of the so-called monsters. With a slogan like "_the last resort IS sometimes the best_", it was a job Mario Brothers Plumbing dared not refuse.

After getting lost in the deep maze of the underground, Mario and Luigi were shocked to find themselves being assaulted by none other than the barrage of monsters that had been plaguing the sewers. If being attacked by monstrous creatures wasn't enough to shock them, imagine their surprise when they found themselves actually fighting against the critters with abilities and strengths they never knew themselves capable. It was like an unseen power surged through their bodies as they battled the creatures that were, in actuality, the very beings they were born to fight against.

After exterminating all but one of the "alien beings", they chased the lone turtle-like creature to a large rusted pipe that laid almost plush with the concrete floor. After the creature then jumped into the pipe, all the Mario brothers could do was stare at each other, bewildered by what was a most unbelievable experience. It was then that a sharp wind blew from out of no where, knocking Mario and Luigi into what was, in actuality, a gateway into another dimension.

For two long years would the Mario brothers lay unconscious in the Mushroom World until finally awakening in strange yet overwhelmingly familiar surroundings. How they got there? They did not know. But it was within the walls of the sacred Star Haven that Mario and Luig found themselves and it was to their utter disbelief the following events that occurred. Seven spiritual beings in the form of stars shone down from the heavens, reuniting with the twins they had not seen since birth. Instead of being afraid like "normal" people would, the Mario brothers were uncharacteristically calm and collected. They were at peace; an emotion that seemed to perplex an already perplexing situation. It was then that the Star Spirits spoke, welcoming Mario and Luigi to the lands of their birth, as well as briefing them on a past they were all but oblivious to. The surreal course of events that surrounded the brothers was almost too much for them to handle, yet somehow they knew of what the strange beings spoke of could only have been the truth.

It seems as Mario and Luigi had lived their lives in the Human World, a few years before their current return, the Koopas, led by a fully-grown Bowser, invaded the Mushroom Kingdom. Using their powerful dark magic, the Koopas had transformed the peace-loving Mushroom People into the likes of stones, bricks, and fungus. In the wake of this ghastly "coup d'etat", the beautiful Mushroom Kingdom had fallen into ruin and despair. It was said, however, that only the daughter of the great Mushroom King, whose blood was as pure as Saint Angelina Toadstool's, could reverse the dark spell inflicted upon by the Koopa.

In hearing what happened, Mario and Luigi knew where their lied. Without so much as even being asked, the Mario brothers took it upon themselves to reclaim the Mushroom Kingdom and rescue the fair Princess from the clutches of the blood thirsty dragon named Bowser.

As their journey began, it became evident that darkness really had corrupted the lands of the Mushroom Kingdom. Whatever beauty the countryside might have had was long since left dead and barren. If one had known the Mushroom Kingdom before the Koopas touch of death, they would have thought it an entirely different world. With the ruined land of their birth before their eyes, Mario and Luigi became inexplicably enraged and vowed amongst each other to save the Mushroom Kingdom at any cost.

Together, Mario and Luigi traveled throughout the lands of the Mushroom Kingdom; passing through underground tunnels, deep under bodies of water, and high above through the skies, gallantly fighting against the many warriors of the Koopaharian Curse. Getting deeper and deeper into their mission, Mario and Luigi's abilities grew stronger and stronger. Toward the end of their first quest, they trained their heavenly aptitudes extensively with the help of no other.

As they would reach fortress's throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, they faced illusions of their arch nemesis Bowser where upon the decoy's defeat they would free one of the seven Mushroom Retainers with whom were also kidnapped with the Princess.

At the seventh castle of the Koopa, the Mario brothers quickly destroyed the final decoy that imprisoned the last Mushroom Retainer. This individual Mushroom person, however, was the personal attendant to none other than the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom herself. Simply going by the name of 'Toad', he issued to the Mario Brothers a powerful warning that their quest would be nearing an end soon, as what was in the next and final castle would bring the former Brooklyn plumbers face to face with the real King Koopa and at long last Love's children would duel Evil's monster.

Having finally reached the eighth fortress of the Koopa, the Mario brothers worked their way through the mazelike structure trying to find the hallway which led to Bowser's throne room; a throne room that sat atop a bridge of molten lava.

When finally coming eye to eye with the Dark King, the dragon did not know of whom the two were and actually laughed at their stupidity in challenging him. He did pay them a single compliment, however, as even he admitted it would've taken great skill to have gotten where they were. And so the first battle between the two heroes and their arch nemesis began. The three fought long and hard as Bowser tried all his known tricks to destroy the twins, each time the brothers dodging whatever fireball or weapon thrown their way.

The duel finally concluded when as Luigi provided a distraction against Bowser, Mario grabbed the decorative golden axe fastened to the end of the bridge and cut the ropes. The bridge then shattered from under Bowser's feet causing him to fall into the lava to what was, at the time, his presumed death. It was through Bowser's own over confidence and underestimation of the human brothers that Mario and Luigi defeated the Koopa King for the first of what would become many times.

Separated from Luigi by the lava, who had jumped to solid ground at the last moment, Mario walked on through the castle alone in search for the Princess. Suddenly he had become entranced by the sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in any world or in his dreams for that matter. Crying and on her knees, Mario walked up to the woman who was in actuality the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Looking up into Mario's eyes, that innocent moment brought forth an instantaneous connection between the two.

Upon her rescue, the Mario brothers took Princess Peach Toadstool to the holy Star Haven where she quickly went to the top of the tower. There, the Princess removed the Star Rod from it's throne, thus fulfilling her destiny, as she used the tool constructed by her great ancestor to return her cursed people back into their normal selves. The Mushroom Kingdom reclaimed, the Princess freed, Bowser thought to be dead, and the curse placed upon the Mushroom People lifted; the long foretold prophecy of the brothers would seem to have been coming true.

On that glorious day, the Mushroom Kingdom as well as the entire Mushroom World forever crowned Mario and Luigi as their saviors. And on that day did Mario find his true love and the woman he vowed would some day marry.

Mario shook his head as his mind came back to the present. Yes, it was the descendant of Saint Angelina Toadstool who Mario loved with all his heart. He had lived for two decades in the Mushroom World fighting against evil in all its incarnations. Yet what he felt was his real accomplishment during those long years was his personal relationship with the Princess. The two were soul mates and in his mind they were fated for one another. His life in the Mushroom World was wonderful for that and that reason alone.

Turning off the faucet and going back into his bedroom, a small picture of him and Peach holding hands in the tropical paradise of Delfino Island caught his eye.

"Peach," whispered Mario as he picked up the picture from his dresser to study it closely.

_"I love you so much."_


	4. Chapter 4: The Dark King

**The Super Mario Saga**

**Chapter 4 - "_The Dark King_"**

**By Gregory Achen

* * *

**

"Do you know why you are going to die?"

Those startling words echoed throughout the Dark King's chamber. His deep maniacal voice sounded amused at the question posed to the lone Mushroom man who stood chained to the dirty brick wall already stained with blood. Those harsh words stung him far worse than any pain known to an earthly creature. The flickering of a lone candle fastened to the wall beside him barely lit the room, leaving his captor shrouded in darkness. All he could see was moments, flashes of the dragon, as it would occasionally move into the candle light apparently relishing in every moment of his torture.

He had been talking to him endlessly like this for hours, going on and on about how "_he was going to die_" and how his "_heart would be torn from his rib cage_" and "_eaten_" by him personally. This King of all Evil, this dark creature of hatred, was mocking the beaten Mushroom man. The dragon knew very well he couldn't speak; his tongue had been cut out hours ago by the monster.

"You are going to die, my little friend, because you deserve to," spat the creature cruelly. "You represent all that is wrong with life on this Earth. You spend your whole existence _oblivious_, ignorant to the one true reality of the universe. Our world is not about such fallacies as love and goodness. Oh no. Deep down inside all living creatures is an abhorrence... a deep seeded loathing... a resentment towards all those that don't fit into one's own specific views on morality."

"What is goodness? Is it not something subjective? Is it not something that is represented by the collective views of a society? If that be the case, then who are you to tell me that I am the one who is wrong? That I am evil? In my society those who follow my order share my outlook on life. Are my followers not a society? Are the Koopas not living, breathing, thinking, creatures of this Earth? Is our collective will on what is good and decent some how less truthful than yours?"

"Hatred is the unifying emotion. Hate is pure, innocent... _powerful_. It is a truth. The only truth. How easy it is for a creature to hate those they at one time professed to love. How simple it is a transition from love to hate. How common it is for those to hate that which can not be understood. To hate those that you are jealous of. To hate those that challenge you. That hurt you. Ignore you. Are better than you. Tell me. How can one know love if one can turn to hate on a whim?"

"Hate is something that comes natural. All who live on this Earth will experience hate, few will ever experience love. Of course, many delude themselves into thinking they can love, be loved, or are themselves loving creatures, yet this is simply a mask worn to shield one's self from their true identity; the monster staring back at them in the mirror. Hypocrisy, I say!"

"I am what I am. I am a monster. My physical reflection shows it and my very core embraces it. And yet you, my little friend, the average ordinary hypocrite, are in fact the real monster. You are the one who is impure and corrupt, not I. When you die by my hands, I will in fact have been the righteous one and you will have been the true villain."

The dragon stared at the Mushroom man who was trying his hardest to control his hysterical weeping.

"Aw, what's the matter?" the dragon spoke sarcastically as it moved to him closer. The dragon's sharp claws reached to the Mushroom man's face to tenderly caress it. "Shh, don't cry. Don't cry. You are just going to meet your destiny. We all have a destiny, my little friend. It is pointless to try and fight it. Now, tell me. What are _your_ thoughts on this?"

The Mushroom man closed his eyes as tight as he could trying to tone out the sadistic monster. Suddenly, a flash of lightening followed by deafening thunder sparked up the room causing the Mushroom man to become alarmed. Opening up his sight, he was immediately frightened by the startling stare of two blood red eyes tearing into his soul. The dragon was in his face, looking at him savagely.

"I said _speak_!" screamed the dragon as he backhanded the Mushroom man with a hideous crunch of bone.

Trying as hard as he could, the Mushroom man started choking hysterically from the blood that seeped from his mutilated mouth. This act amused the evil dragon as he found himself smiling and then laughing at the man's useless effort in trying to speak.

"You know. I have to admit. You make an excellent point," the dragon snorted.

Suddenly, the horned beast stopped laughing as he stared at his victim who was still trying to talk as he choked on his own blood.

"Stop it," demanded the dragon.

The Mushroom man continued to gurgle and choke.

"Stop it!" he again demanded growing infuriated.

The Mushroom man started becoming more and more hysterical as blood started rushing out of his mouth in a most disturbing way. The dragon then picked up a sword decorated on the wall next to the man; a blade forged in the legendary image of Exor.

"_Stop it_!" the creature screamed as he violently plunged the slick metal into the Mushroom man's chest with a loud crack. Ripping him in two, the Mushroom man was still alive, his insides hanging out. Slowly the dragon reached into his exposed rib cage, and tickled his beating heart.

"Poor little Mushroom man," the dragon said softly, "you should have obeyed my order. Now, rest in peace. Your salvation is awaiting." And with that the dragon grabbed the Mushroom man's beating heart and tore it from his chest. The Mushroom man was at last dead.

The Dark King raised the freshly torn heart to his eyes to closely examine the piece of meat. The dragon then squeezed the bloody muscle, expelling the remaining fluid.

"Lord Bowser?" a new voice suddenly echoed in the room.

King Bowser, leader of the Koopa, son of the Koopaharian Curse, spun around to face that which dared interrupt his brutal sacrifice. Standing at the doorway was the great sorcerer Kamek, old caretaker and personal confidant of Bowser, who stood shaking before the powerful dragon that dwarfed him in size.

Sword still in hand, Bowser walked casually over to meet his right hand. The dragon looked mad, enraged at Kamek's interruption, however, his frowning face soon tightened into that of a devious smile. Bowser then slowly lifted the bloody blade of the sword to Kamek's neck, slightly piercing it.

"Afraid, aren't we, Kamek," stated Bowser calmly. "I bet right now your stomach is in knots and you are feeling nauseous. I bet you are thinking a thousand thoughts at once and feeling emotions you never knew yourself capable of feeling. I could stand here for hours like this and in the end, after I tore your neck open, the anticipation of death would be over and you would be at peace."

Kamek swallowed hard causing the blade to dig further into his skin. The warm sensation of blood then trickled down his neck. He hated Bowser's mind games. One of these days, Kamek just knew that Bowser really was really going to kill him.

"If I killed you fast," continued Bowser, "that would be it. Over and done with. It doesn't take a powerful soul to kill a creature quickly. No. You want the victim to suffer and die mentally long before you rip them end to end."

Bowser then glanced slightly toward the cut up dead body of the Mushroom man still standing lifelessly chained to the brick wall before continuing on with his speech.

"Anticipation is the key. The thought of knowing you are going to die is far worse than death itself. Wouldn't you agree, Kamek?"

The King Koopa looked into Kamek's terrified eyes as Bowser's expression turned back into one of seriousness. He then quickly released the blade from Kamek's throat and raised it high in the air ready to hack him in two. The MagiKoopa collapsed to the floor and whimpered expecting the blow from the sword to slice him.

Seconds past and yet still Kamek felt no pain. Looking up cautiously, Kamek only saw a grinning Bowser who began laughing hysterically at his behavior.

"Oh, Kamek," Bowser cackled. "Did you honestly think I would kill the one person in this world with whom I trust? I was merely teaching you a powerful lesson. Rise my friend."

Still shaking from fear, Kamek rose from the floor and dusted himself off while Bowser threw the instrument of death to the floor with a metallic clink.

"Now, what exactly did you so desperately want to tell me that you felt the need to interrupt a sacrifice to our cause?"

"Lord Wart has made contact. He shall arrive tonight."

"Excellent," said Bowser amused. "Walk with me over to the balcony."

Stepping inside the dimly lit room, Kamek could barely see anything. The only source of light was a single candle on the wall that only seemed to illuminate the dead body of the Mushroom man.

Bowser pulled a rope causing two large red curtains to retract revealing an expansive balcony that allowed what little daylight there was to enter the chamber. Kamek then hurriedly walked over to his master's side who was already standing on the ledge of the railing and staring out toward the rising sun. The sun's rays caused the billowing storm clouds to glow a swirling black, purple, and gray.

"Beautiful, isn't it, Kamek?" inquired Bowser. "Acres and acres of dead land in the very Mushroom Kingdom that despises me. Koopa Territory. My Territory."

"Yes, your Majesty," Kamek said agreeing.

"Soon we will spread this beauty to all of the world. It is my destiny, Kamek. My very reason for living. And destiny is rarely altered, is it not?

Kamek was about to again agree with Bowser before the dragon continued on with his thoughts.

"I have come so close in the past to making the Koopaharian Curse a reality and have failed not by my own accord, but because of two fragile and vulnerable human beings. More specifically, there has been one man, who has time after time ruined my only opportunity at happiness by stealing the one thing that was and always will be rightfully mine."

The mystical MagiKoopa tensed up at those words. He knew all too well precisely what his Dark King was referring to and he disagreed with it immensely.

"If I may say so," Kamek said as he spoke slowly, contemplating how to word what he was going to say, "I don't understand why you are so infatuated with her."

Instantaneously Bowser grabbed Kamek's light blue gown and lifted him to his face angrily.

"I dont want to hear it again Kamek! I can't help how I feel!"

"But if it wasn't for those so-called feelings you have for her, Sire, your judgment would not have been so clouded in the past and you would still be ruling the Mushroom Kingdom to this day."

Bowser threw Kamek to the stone floor and turned back out to face the morning sky. He knew that what Kamek spoke of was the truth, but his infatuation was deeper than even he could have fathomed; it was an obsession. And that was why he hated with a passion the man whose heart the woman's belonged to.

"You lecture me again, Kamek," Bowser continued suddenly calm, "and you will be joining my seven children in the Koopaharian Dungeons. They might have been my own flesh and blood but they failed our cause one time too many. You might be the only person I trust in this world, Kamek, but not even you are immune from such a fate."

Kamek stood up from the floor and rejoined his master's side. "I am sorry, Master. I was only trying to help," he apologized.

"I know, I know. But why don't you just focus on your part in the grand scheme of things. I am in charge now, Kamek. Though I realize how hard it must be to forego the control you once had over me, you must trust my will. I am the prophesied Dark King of the Koopaharian Curse and all shall heed to my whim. The One Hundredth Anniversary of the Mushroom Kingdom is drawing near and there is still much to be completed. Once Lord Wart arrives tonight, our plans will greatly accelerate."

Bowser then put his claw-like hand, dried with blood, on Kamek's shoulder.

"And as for my feelings for Princess Toadstool," he continued, " leave that my own business."

Bowser closed his eyes and smiled to himself as his thoughts drifted to that of the Princess. Softly, he whispered a silent pledge for the woman whose heart he hoped to one day claim for his own...

_"I love her..."_


End file.
